


Stillness

by Urby



Series: Azurrin Week [3]
Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Angst, Gen, Video Game Mechanics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-12-12 21:53:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11745918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Urby/pseuds/Urby
Summary: Azura meets a specter. Azurrin Week 2017, August 8: Hero





	Stillness

**Author's Note:**

> hi my name is urby and i like poly ships. intsys please give us christmas boyrin (green dragon?) so he can be a reindeer noodle and azura can have Many Loves, ok

The gauntlet was meant to be in good fun, with heroes gathering from far off Askrs to exchange blows and tales of combat. Kiran had made a passing comment that it was sort of like "speed dating", though they were reluctant to explain what they meant by that.

Azura found herself being yanked into such bouts rather often. It didn't strike her as unusual - her singing abilities were appreciated no matter the world. Still, it was exhausting, having to fight and strengthen people she did not know.

People she did not love.

Even in a place as strange as this, she had found love. She had found...them. There were two of them. One with long hair and an easy laugh, sprinting into battle with her dragonstone in hand, and one with a gentle heart who wielded a Yato as bright as his smile. Kamui and Corrin. The three of them had agreed to protect and support each other.

Leaving them to fight for people she did not know, but could not call strangers...it stung. But at least it was not the ache and exhaustion of lying and keeping secrets.

 _I will see them soon,_ she told herself every time she was summoned for what she considered a trivial matter. _So, I will do my all to end this as quickly as possible._

* * *

The gauntlet was supposed to be light-hearted. A sparring session between worlds, with a bit of competition involved. And yet, Azura had not been so thoroughly challenged since she had come to Askr.

She was wounded, but the two healers that had come with her had both fallen. The only person left on the other side was...

It was Corrin.

She shook her head. It was _a_ Corrin, not the one that was waiting for her when she was through. She had seen some of the people she knew from home in matches like this, whether it was because of Emblian control or because of training sessions...so, inevitably, there were times that she faced a Corrin or Kamui. Or herself. Azura had always steeled herself by remembering that they were different people, and they possibly walked different paths to get to the same point.

Corrin was not a difficult opponent for her - her lance's reach would keep him away, and she knew him well enough to find his weak spots. It was always rough, turning that knowledge against him. Even one that she did not know and love especially.

The battlefield was eerily silent as she watched him. She hadn't ever remembered him engaging during the bout. In fact, she wasn't sure he had even moved. He stood, feet close together, staring off into middle distance.

Azura took a cautious step forward. He did not react, even when she swiped a rock towards him. His hands hung limply at his sides. They were empty - he had no sword or dragonstone to defend himself with.

"Corrin!" she called out.

Nothing. She stood in front of him, waiting.

He swayed on his legs ever so slightly, so she knew he was present and not frozen. Still, it unnerved her to see him so inactive. She brought a hand close to his face. Nothing, not even when she waved, not even when she snapped her fingers in front of his eyes. He barely blinked.

"Please, if you can hear me...give me a sign," she said.

Without the sounds of combat, it was easy to hear how labored his breathing was. There was exhaustion behind his gaze, even if he wasn't looking at anything.

It was too much for her to bear. He was not meant to be a prince of silence. Azura ran her lance through him, and his body put up no resistance.

In the moment before he vanished, she could tell that focus had come back to his vision. He had seen her. He didn't have the strength to smile, but she thought...maybe, there was something in his eyes. Relief.

* * *

Azura did not greeted anyone upon her return and went straight to her room. She sat, uncomfortably aware of how unnerved she was. She had to find every part of her body that was stiff with tension and relax them, bit by bit. Jaw. Torso. Fingers. Brow.

If only she could relax her stomach and throat. She sighed and prepared herself in case she might lose her dinner.

"Azura? Can we come in?"

A sigh swept past her nose. She knew her loves would give her space if she told them it was what she wanted. But...she wanted to see them, even if she did not know whether or not she could be warm to them at this moment. She folded her hands on her lap.

"Please do," she said.

Two half-dragons peered out of the doorway. They noticed her mood right away and crossed the room to sit next to her.

"Do you want something from the mess hall?" Kamui asked. "Something to drink or a snack?"

Azura shook her head. "I shouldn't try eating right now," she said.

Kamui hummed with concern.

"Should we let Kiran know you want to take the day off?" Corrin asked.

Azura closed her eyes.

"Later, then?" It was a question they didn't need an answer for, but an opportunity for her to talk, if she wanted one.

"Thank you," Azura said. She remained still and composed.

The bed creaked as Kamui and Corrin sat closer to her. She felt their warmth on her shoulders.

"Want to talk about what's on your mind, or would you rather not think right now?" Kamui offered.

Azura's tongue felt huge and heavy in her mouth. She took a deep breath.

"I met a Corrin who wasn't well. Something was wrong with him, but...I wasn't able to help him." She leaned over her knees, folding her hands over her eyes. "I could only send him away with the end of my lance."

"Not well?" Kamui asked.

Azura focused on the weight of her knuckles against her eyelids. "He couldn't move or speak. He had nothing, not even the cheapest sword. He looked sick...I couldn't help him."

Revisiting the memory made her realize that she hadn't exactly tried. Maybe she could have done something else...

Normally, one of her loves had something to say rather quickly when she said something that was bothering her. Today, they were quiet. She looked up from her hands. They noticed and shifted in their seats.

"That sounds like..." Kamui began. She and Corrin exchanged glances and a short nod.

"You know of this?" Azura asked.

Corrin's face was drawn tight. He stared at his hands. "We met a Catria, once, that didn't have a weapon," he said. His fingernails looked sharp. "She flew her pegasus too low to the ground. She should have been able to escape us, but she didn't fly away. Not even when Takumi took aim at her."

"Was she very quiet?"

Kamui nodded.

Azura's gaze drifted towards the wall. So the Corrin she'd met was not the first. And, likely, not the last.

Did the Askran and Emblian kingdoms know of this? Or was this a secret they were keeping from the heroes they summoned? Not like she was in a position to criticize others about secrets.

"I hope they are able to go home soon," Azura said.

Kamui's toes drummed on the floor. She always did that when something was bothering her, and the fact that her partners were both quiet was clearly affecting her. She stood, shaking her head so her hair swayed from side to side. Then, she held her hands out. "Come on. Let's think of something else. Outside, maybe? It's a nice day out."

Corrin and Kamui's hands were warm.

**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes you're in the mood for angst, but like, a really specific kind where all the partners involved are emotionally in tune with each other, everyone's aware that everyone's upset, but they want to unload, even if they know there's no solution or fix to what's upsetting them. (like i said, really specific.)
> 
> The phenomenon being described is something that happens in Fire Emblem: Heroes, possibly as a countermeasure for hacking. The game seems to have a strike system instead of banning on the first sign of suspicious activity, so the weaponless heroes might be remnants of the anti-hacking's cleanup duty, rather than outright being deleted. I'm not certain, but it's my best guess. Regardless, when units are unarmed, the AI does not move them unless they have a support ability they can use on an ally. When they are the last unit left, they'll immediately pass their turn. (You can observe this by finding a healer in a low-level Training Room)
> 
> The Catria sighting is one I found during play, while the unarmed male Corrin was something someone tweeted out.


End file.
